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1PR0VEMENT 
AND  TUNNEL 
EXTENSION  of 
The  Pennsylvania 
RAILROAD  •  •  . 


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SEYMOUR  DURST 


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Pennsylvania  Station — 

Seventh  //venue  Facade 


The  NEW  YORK 
IMPROVEMENT 
and  TUNNEL 
EXTENSION  of 
THE  PENNSYLVANIA 
RAJ  LROAD 


ISSUED  OCTOBER,  1910  PHILADELPHIA,  PENNSYLVANIA 


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Statue  in  Pennsylvania  Station 


THE 


PENNSYLVANIA  RAILROAD'S 
NEW  YORK 
IMPROVEMENT 

THE  Pennsylvania  Station  in  New  York  City, 
at  Seventh  Avenue  and  Thirty-second  Street, 
now  completed,  covers  more  territory  than 
any  other  building  ever  constructed  at  one  time 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  Vatican,  the 
Tuileries,  the  St.  Petersburg  Winter  Palace,  are 
larger  buildings,  but  they  have  occupied  centuries 
in  their  construction.  The  Pennsylvania  Station  is 
unique,  covering  as  it  does  eight  acres  of  ground, 
with  exterior  walls  extending  approximately  one-half 
of  a  mile,  all  told,  and  having  been  erected  in  less 
than  six  years'  time. 

This  Station  is  not  only  the  largest  structure  of  its 
kind  in  the  world,  but  it  epitomizes  and  embodies 
the  highest  development  of  the  art  of  transportation. 
Every  practicable  convenience,  the  most  ingenious 
of  mechanical  and  electrical  inventions,  every  safe- 
guard against  danger — all,  in  fact,  that  has  so  far 
been  learned  in  railway  transportation  and  station 
perfection,  has  been  availed  of  for  the  benefit  of 
every  passenger,  no  matter  whether  he  is  to  take  a 
short  ride  to  Long  Island  or  a  two  thousand  mile 
trip  to  the  West. 


3 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


While  the  cost  of  the  improvement  represents  a 
greater  expenditure  than  was  ever  before  incurred 
by  a  private  corporation  for  a  single  undertaking, 
nevertheless  the  outlay  was  required  to  unite  the 
principal  parts  of  the  thickly  populated  area  in  and 
around  New  York  City,  and  to  provide  unsurpassed 
facilities,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  for  reaching 
the  entire  country. 

The  idea  of  tunneling  Hudson  and  East  Rivers 
for  an  entrance  into  New  York  City  did  not  evolve 
suddenly.  It  was  the  logical  result  of  long-studied 
plans  in  which  Mr.  Alexander  Johnston  Cassatt,  the 
late  President  of  the  Company,  participated  from  the 
beginning,  and  an  entrance  into  New  York  City  was 
decided  upon  only  when  the  Executive  Officers  and 
Directors  of  the  Company  realized  that  it  had  become 
an  absolute  necessity. 

After  the  Company  in  1871  leased  the  United 
Railroads  of  New  Jersey,  which  terminate  in  Jersey 
City,  the  Officers  of  the  Railroad  looked  longingly 
toward  New  York  City.  They  wanted  a  station  there, 
but  they  were  confronted  both  by  the  great  expense 
of  such  an  undertaking,  as  well  as  the  lack  of  a 
feasible  plan,  for  at  that  time  the  engineering  ob- 
stacles seemed  to  be  insurmountable.  The  panic  of 
1873  made  it  impossible  to  promote  any  large  exten- 
sion or  to  become  actively  engaged  in  a  proposition 
from  which  no  immediate  return  could  be  shown; 


4 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


but  from  this  time,  and  particularly  in  1874,  when  the 
Hudson  Tunnel  scheme,  now  completed  and  in  opera- 
tion under  the  control  of  the  Hudson  Companies, 
was  first  started,  the  problem  was  considered.  In 
1884,  a  proposition  was  entertained  to  build  the 
"  North  River  Bridge"  across  the  Hudson  River, 
with  a  span  almost  twice  that  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge. 
The  panic  of  that  year,  however,  put  a  damper  on  all 
new  undertakings. 

In  1892  the  subject  was  again  revived,  and  after 
careful  surveys  had  been  made,  a  number  of  different 
propositions  were  submitted,  but  the  silver  panic  of 
1 893  prevented  the  adoption  of  any  particular  plan. 

In  1900  the  control  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
was  acquired  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
and  it  then  became  desirable  that  the  Pennsylvania 
should  have  a  physical  connection  with  the  Long 
Island  Railroad.  As  the  other  railroad  lines  using 
ferries  to  carry  passengers  into  New  York  City  did 
not  approve  of  the  construction  of  the  Hudson  River 
Bridge,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  charter 
for  a  bridge  to  be  used  exclusively  by  a  single  com- 
pany, a  tunnel  scheme  was  adopted  by  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad.  The  improvement  in  methods  of 
tunnel  construction,  the  use  of  electric  power  in  tun- 
nels, and  the  favorable  condition  of  business,  were 
the  principal  considerations  which  led  to  the  adop- 
tion of  the  plan  of  construction  which  has  since  been 
carried  out. 

5 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


II 

In  1901  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  was  employing 
ferries  to  land  its  passengers  in  New  York  City  just 
as  it  did  in  1871,  when  it  first  leased  the  United  Rail- 
roads of  New  Jersey. 

Railroads  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Hudson 
River  opposite  New  York  City  carried,  in  1886,  nearly 
59,000,000  people.  In  1890  they  carried  over 
72,000,000,  in  1896  more  than  94,000,000  and  in  1906 
about  140,000,000  people. 

In  1890  the  population  gathered  within  a  circle  of 
19  miles  radius,  with  City  Hall,  Manhattan,  as  the 
center,  was  3,326,998;  in  1900  it  was  4,612,153,  and 
five  years  later  it  was  5,404,638,  an  increase  in  ten 
years  of  38  per  cent.  In  1913  it  is  estimated  that  the 
population  of  this  territory  will  approximate  six 
million  people,  and  in  1920  eight  million. 

These  startling  figures,  and  what  they  meant  in 
transportation  needs,  in  addition  to  the  serious  problem 
of  providing  corresponding  freight  facilities,  were 
considered  when  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  was  con- 
templating entering  New  York  City.  It  was  evident 
that  one  of  the  greatest  transportation  problems  in 
history  was  rapidly  evolving,  and  it  was  only  by  quick 
action  that  the  Railroad  could  prepare  to  cope  with  it. 

With  the  traffic  in  and  out  of  New  York  City 
growing  more  rapidly  than  it  had  during  any  period 
in  the  last  twenty  years,  the  question  confronting 


6 


Pen n syh a n ia  Station — 

Detail  of  Main  Entrance  on 
Seventh  Avenue 


Pen nsylv a n la  Statio n — 

Detail  of  Driveway  Entrance, 
Thirty-first  Street  and  Seventh 
Avenue 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


the  Management  of  the  Railroad  was  whether  the 
volume  of  this  traffic  was  such  as  to  warrant  any 
other  method  of  transportation  than  ferries  for  cross- 
ing North  and  East  Rivers.  The  action  taken  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  shows  how  it  met  this 
situation,  and  the  result  is  the  New  York  Station 
and  Tunnel  Extension. 

Ill 

There  were  many  reasons  for  the  construction  of 
this  great  improvement.  The  Company  desired  to 
provide  for  the  future  by  enlarging  the  present  facili- 
ties for  freight  and  passenger  traffic,  because  of  the 
continuous  growth  in  this  traffic.  To  accomplish  this 
before  the  cost  became  almost  prohibitive,  or  the  task 
impossible  because  of  the  construction  of  other  under- 
ground transportation  lines,  meant  that  no  time  should 
be  lost. 

It  was  the  Company's  plan  to  run  its  passenger 
trains  into  a  centrally  located  station  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  instead  of  one  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
Hudson  River;  to  give  rapid  transit  from  the  resi- 
dential sections  of  Long  Island,  and  to  offer  to  New- 
ark and  other  cities  in  New  Jersey,  direct  and  quick 
access  to  New  York  City,  and  to  the  resorts  on  Long 
Island  beaches. 

It  was  considered  essential  to  provide  an  all-rail 
connection  between  the  South  and  West  on  the  one 


7 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


hand,  and  New  England  and  the  East  on  the  other. 
The  Company  desired  to  give  to  the  Boroughs  of 
Brooklyn  and  Queens,  with  their  population  of  over 
1,500,000,  direct  railroad  connections  to  and  from 
the  New  England,  Southern  and  Western  States,  and 
to  supply  freight  facilities  with  similar  connections  in 
these  Boroughs,  with  freight  stations  suitably  located 
to  develop  their  commercial  interests. 

It  was  planned  to  provide  additional  freight 
facilities,  and,  by  the  use  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad, 
to  shorten  the  water  transportation  trip  for  the  New 
England  traffic  across  New  York  Harbor  from  twelve 
to  three  and  four-tenths  miles. 

The  Company  considered  it  its  duty  to  obtain  a 
proper  share  of  the  golden  future  by  judicious  ex- 
penditures in  a  territory  having  abundant  promise, 
whether  viewed  from  the  growth  of  traffic  in  the  past, 
or  the  outlook  for  the  future. 

IV 

Built  after  the  Roman  Doric  style  of  architecture, 
the  New  York  Station  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
covers  the  entire  area  bounded  by  Seventh  and  Eighth 
Avenues  and  Thirty-first  and  Thirty-third  Streets. 
The  depth  of  the  property  on  both  streets  is  799  feet 
1 1  %  inches,  and  the  length  of  the  building  is  788  feet 
9  inches,  thus  allowing  for  extra-wide  sidewalks  on 
both  side  streets  and  avenues.    The  walls  extend  430 


8 


Pennsylvania  Station — 

Seventh  Avenue  Facade  looking 
North  from   Thirty-first  Street 


'Ivania  Station — 
Detail  of  Thirty-third  Street 
Entrance  to  Main  Waiting 
Room 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


feet  6  inches  from  Thirty-first  Street  to  Thirty-third 
Street,  the  Seventh  Avenue  facade  signalizing  the 
main  entrance. 

While  the  facades  of  the  station  were  designed  to 
suggest  the  imposing  character  of  the  ancient  Roman 
temples  and  baths,  the  impression  intended  to  be 
made  upon  the  layman  approaching  the  Station,  in 
full  view  of  the  exterior  of  the  general  waiting  room 
with  its  huge  semi-circular  windows,  is  that  of  one  of 
the  leading  railway  stations  of  the  world. 

In  designing  the  exterior  of  the  building,  Messrs. 
McKim,  Mead  &  White,  the  architects,  were  at  pains 
to  embody  two  ideas  :  To  express  in  so  far  as  was  prac- 
ticable, with  the  unusual  condition  of  tracks  below  the 
street  surface  and  in  spite  of  the  absence  of  the  con- 
ventional train  shed,  not  only  the  exterior  design  of  a 
great  railway  station  in  the  generally  accepted  form, 
but  also  to  give  to  the  building  the  character  of  a 
monumental  gateway  and  entrance  to  a  great  me- 
tropolis. 

Apart  from  these  two  ideas,  the  plan  of  the  Station 
was  designed  to  give  the  greatest  number  of  lines  of 
circulation.  The  structure  is  really  a  monumental 
bridge  over  the  tracks,  with  entrances  to  the  streets 
on  the  main  axis  and  on  all  four  sides.  In  this  respect 
the  building  is  unique  among  the  railway  stations  of 
the  world,  affording  the  maximum  of  entrance  and 
exit  facilities. 


9 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


The  Seventh  Avenue  facade  is  composed  princi-1 
pally  of  a  Roman  Doric  colonnade,  double  at  the 
carriage  entrances  at  the  street  ends  and  at  the  main 
front  entrance  for  pedestrians  in  the  center;  each 
of  the  columns  is  4  feet  6  inches  in  diameter  and  35 
feet  high.  Above  the  central  colonnade  is  an  en- 
tablature surmounted  by  a  clock  with  a  dial  7  feet  in 
diameter.  The  center  of  this  clock  is  on  the  axial 
line  of  Thirty-second  Street,  and  61  feet  above  the 
sidewalk. 

This  Seventh  Avenue  facade  was  conceived  espec- 
ially to  symbolize  in  most  imposing  fashion  a  monu- 
mental gateway.  It  may  be  compared,  with  due 
allowance  for  its  more  massive  proportions,  to  the 
Brandenburg  Gate  in  Berlin,  through  which  passes  so 
much  of  the  traffic  of  that  city.  The  central  entrance 
on  Seventh  Avenue  leads  to  the  main  waiting  room 
through  an  arcade  225  feet  long  by  45  feet  wide,  flanked 
on  both  sides  by  shops.  At  the  farther  end  of  the 
arcade  are  the  restaurants,  lunch  rooms  and  cafe, 
and  beyond  are  the  general  waiting  room  and  con- 
course, the  latter  being  on  the  first  level  below  the 
street. 

The  main  body  of  the  building  approximates  in 
height  the  Bourse  of  Paris,  reaching  76  feet  above  the 
street  level.  With  entrances  through  the  two  corners 
of  the  Station  on  Seventh  Avenue  there  are  carriage 
drives,  each  about  63  feet  wide,  or  almost  twice  the 

10 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


width  of  a  standard  New  York  City  street,  fronted 
by  double  columns  and  pediments.  The  narrowest 
opening  between  the  columns  is  practically  equal  in 
width  to  the  arched  driveways  in  the  Louvre,  through 
which  the  omnibuses  of  Paris  pass.  The  frontage 
is  the  same  on  Thirty-first  and  Thirty-third  Streets. 
The  walls  of  the  exterior  of  the  carriage  drives  are  of 
pilaster  treatment  for  a  distance  of  some  279  feet. 

The  central  features  of  the  facades  of  the  Thirty- 
first  and  Thirty-third  Street  sides  for  a  distance  of 
about  230  feet  are  formed  by  a  colonnade  opening 
into  the  carriage  driveways  below.  Over  the  central 
porticos  of  these  colonnades  are  ornamental  clocks 
and  eagles,  similar  to  those  in  the  Seventh  Avenue 
front.  From  the  opening  in  the  center,  bridges  for 
the  use  of  foot  passengers  entering  from  the  street 
level  lead  directly  over  the  carriage  driveways  to  the 
general  waiting  room.  West  of  these  carriage 
courts,  and  along  the  Eighth  Avenue  front,  the  gen- 
eral scheme  of  design  is  continued  by  the  use  of 
pilasters  in  place  of  columns,  except  at  the  three 
entrances  to  the  concourse  and  offices.  This  entire 
section  of  the  building  is  composed  of  four  stories  of 
offices  given  over  to  the  use  of  the  local  executive 
staff  of  the  Railroad  Company. 

The  Eighth  Avenue  frontage  is  treated  on  the 
plan  of  pilasters  except  for  44  feet  6  inches;  this  part 


11 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


is  broken  by  columns  into  intervals  of  three  spaces 
to  mark  another  spacious  entrance  to  the  main  floor 
of  the  concourse. 

One  of  the  distinctive  features  of  this  building  is 
the  waiting  room,  which  extends  from  Thirty-first 
to  Thirty-third  Streets,  its  walls  parallel  to  Seventh  and 
Eighth  Avenues  for  a  distance  of  314  feet  4  inches. 
The  height  of  this  room  is  150  feet  and  its  width  108 
feet  8  inches.  The  walls  of  the  waiting  room  above  the 
main  body  of  the  building  contain  on  each  side  three 
semi-circular  windows  of  a  radius  of  33  feet  4  inches, 
and  66  feet  8  inches  wide  at  the  base.  There  is  also 
a  window  of  like  size  at  each  end  of  the  waiting  room. 

The  dignified  design  of  the  interior  of  the  waiting 
room,  while  fully  adapted  to  modern  ideas,  was 
suggested  by  the  great  halls  and  basilicas  of  Rome, 
such  as  the  baths  of  Caracalla,  Titus  and  Diocletian, 
and  the  basilica  of  Constantine,  which  are  perhaps 
the  greatest  examples  in  history  of  large  roofed-in 
areas  treated  in  a  monumental  manner. 

The  main  waiting  room  on  the  concourse  level 
is  the  largest  in  the  world.  Within  its  walls  are 
located  the  ticket  offices,  baggage  checking  windows, 
and  telephone  and  telegraph  offices,  so  conveniently 
arranged  that  a  passenger  may  proceed  from  one  to 
the  other  with  a  minimum  amount  of  exertion  and 
without  retracing  his  steps.  Adjoining  the  general 
waiting  room  on  the  west  side  are  waiting  rooms, 


12 


Pen  nsylva  n  ia  Station  — 

The  Arcade,  looking  from  the 
Seventh  Avenue  Entrance 
toward  the  Main  Waiting  Room 


Pennsylvania  Station — 

Arcade  Entrance  to  Loggia 
and  Main  Waiting  Room 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


each  58  by  100  feet,  for  men  and  women.  These 
open  into  retiring  rooms. 

The  grand  stairway,  39  feet  6  inches  wide,  is 
constructed  of  Italian  " Travertine"  stone.  It  leads 
from  the  arcade  into  the  general  waiting  room,  and 
from  it  one  gets  a  view  of  the  main  entrance  to  the 
arcade  and  of  the  entire  waiting  room.  At  the  head 
of  this  stairway,  in  the  Travertine  wall  is  placed  the 
statue  of  Alexander  Johnston  Cassatt,  the  dominant 
personality  in  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  tunnel  and 
station  project.  No  greater  tribute  could  be  paid  to 
his  genius  than  the  inscription  at  the  base  of  the 
statue,  which  reads  as  follows: 

Alexander  Johnston  Cassatt 
President  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company 

1899  1906 
Whose  Foresight,  Courage  and  Ability 
Achieved  the  Extension  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  System  into 
New  York  City 

The  statue  is  the  work  of  Adolph  Alexander 
Weinman,  the  sculptor. 

The  Roman  Travertine  used  in  the  arcade  and 
general  waiting  room  of  the  Station  for  the  walls, 
and  for  all  columns,  pilasters  and  stairways,  comes 


13 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


from  the  quarries  in  the  Roman  Campagna,  near 
Tivoli,  Italy.  It  is  the  stone  of  which  imperial  and 
modern  Rome  is  principally  built,  these  quarries 
having  supplied  the  major  part  of  the  building  stone 
of  Rome  for  many  centuries.  Notable  examples  of 
its  use  are  the  Coliseum  and  St.  Peter's  Cathedral. 
It  was  imported  into  this  country  for  the  first  time  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  for  use  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Station  in  New  York. 

Travertine  stone  was  used  in  the  construction 
of  the  Station  for  the  reason  that  while  it  is  very 
hard  and  durable,  it  has  an  openness  of  texture 
which  makes  it  particularly  suitable  for  use  in  areas 
of  such  unusual  dimensions  as  the  Pennsylvania 
Station,  giving  a  character  and  distinction  to  the 
surface  which  could  not  be  obtained  with  a  stone  of 
more  uniform  appearance.  Moreover,  the  stone 
tends  to  take  a  polish  when  rubbed  up  against  rather 
than  absorb  dirt,  which  makes  it  very  practical  for 
public  station  uses.  Its  warm,  sunny,  yellow  color 
is  pleasing,  and  in  this  respect  it  is  distinctly  superior 
to  almost  any  of  the  stones  available  in  the  North 
American  continent,  which  are,  as  a  rule,  of  a  cold 
gray  color.  Through  the  use  of  this  stone,  the  gen- 
eral waiting  room  has  a  mellowness  of  tone  which  is 
very  noticeable,  even  on  the  cloudiest  days. 

The  main  baggage  room,  with  450  feet  of  front- 
age, is  located  on  the  same  level  with  the  general 


Pennsylvania  Station — 

Corner  of  Loggia  at  the  head  of 
Grand  Stairway,  looking  through 
the  Arcade  to  Seventh  Avenue 


Pen  nsylva  n  ia  Station  — 

General  View  of  Main  Waiting 
Room 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


waiting  room.  This  is  for  inbound  and  outbound 
baggage  carried  by  cabs  and  transfer  wagons,  and 
covers  the  full  area  occupied  by  the  arcade  and 
restaurants  on  the  plane  above.  Baggage  is  delivered 
to  and  taken  from  trains  through  a  special  subway. 
From  the  baggage  room  trunks  are  delivered  to  the 
tracks  below  by  motor  trucks  and  elevators.  Motor 
cabs  will  also  be  stationed  on  this  level. 

Parallel  to  and  connected  with  the  main  waiting 
room  by  a  wide  thoroughfare  is  the  concourse,  a 
covered  assembling  place  over  200  feet  wide,  ex- 
tending the  entire  width  of  the  Station,  and  under 
Thirty-first  and  Thirty-third  Streets.  It  is  directly 
over  the  tracks  on  which  the  trains  arrive  and 
depart.  The  concourse  is  the  vestibule  to  the 
tracks ;  stairs  descend  from  it  to  each  of  the  train 
platforms.  All  of  this  area  is  open  to  the  tracks, 
forming  a  courtyard  340  feet  wide  by  210  feet  broad, 
roofed  by  a  lofty  dome  of  iron  and  glass.  In  this 
dome  the  architects  have  attempted  to  give  a  simple 
architectural  expression  to  structural  steel  without 
the  use  of  ornament.  This  has  been  done  consider- 
ably abroad,  notably  in  the  railway  stations  at 
Frankfort  and  Dresden,  Germany,  but  it  has  never 
before  been  attempted  in  this  country.  The  design, 
which  involves  intersecting  arched  vaults,  is,  from  a 
structural  view,  distinctly  more  complicated  than  the 
European  examples  cited. 

15 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


In  addition  to  the  entrances  to  the  concourse 
from  the  waiting  room,  and  from  Eighth  Avenue, 
there  are  direct  approaches  from  the  two  side 
streets.  Midway  in  the  block  between  Seventh  and 
Eighth  Avenues  and  opposite  the  entrance  to  the 
Station  on  Thirty-third  Street,  is  a  wide  private 
street,  which  affords  direct  communication  with 
Thirty-fourth  Street,  an  important  crosstown  thor- 
oughfare. Leading  up  from  the  exit  concourse  of 
the  Station  to  this  private  street  is  a  moving  stairway. 

Underlying  the  main  concourse  and  located 
between  it  and  the  tracks  is  the  exit  concourse,  60 
feet  wide,  which  will  be  used  for  egress  purposes 
only.  This  exit  concourse  is  eighteen  feet  above  the 
train  platforms  and  is  connected  with  them  by  two 
stairways  and  one  elevator  from  each  platform.  From 
the  exit  concourse  ample  staircases  and  inclines  lead 
directly  to  the  two  side  streets,  Thirty-fourth  Street 
and  Eighth  Avenue.  In  addition,  the  Company  has 
arranged  for  direct  connection  with  subways  in 
Seventh  and  Eighth  Avenues,  when  these  lines  are 
built. 

For  the  first  time  in  this  country,  a  station  has 
been  planned  in  such  a  way  as  to  provide  for  the 
complete  separation,  above  the  train  platform  level, 
of  the  incoming  and  outgoing  traffic  ;  this,  to  a  great 
extent,  should  avoid  much  confusion.  The  Station 
is  so  located  and  designed  that  the  traffic  may  enter 


16 


Pennsylvania  Station — 

View  of  Main  Waiting  Room, 
looking  from  Entrance  to  Con- 
course toward  Seventh  Avenue, 
showing  Grand  Stairway 


Pen  n sylva  nia  Station — 

Detail  of  portion  of  the  West 
Wall,  Main  Waiting  Room, 
looking  toward  Concourse 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


or  leave  the  building  on  any  of  the  four  adjoining 
streets  and  avenues,  and  in  this  manner  conges- 
tion is  avoided. 

The  northern  side  of  the  Station  extending  along 
Thirty-third  Street  is  assigned  to  the  Long  Island 
Railroad.  Into  this  part  of  the  Station  trains  will  run 
from  all  points  on  Long  Island  by  way  of  the  East 
River  tunnels.  Separate  ticket  offices,  entrances  and 
exits  are  provided,  so  that  this  suburban  traffic  can 
be  handled  independently  of  the  rest  of  the  Station. 

The  third  level  for  the  passenger  is  the  train  plat- 
form, about  thirty-six  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
street.  This  Station  is  the  first  one  in  America  in 
which  a  trunk  line  has  adopted  the  raised  platform 
construction,  similar  to  that  used  in  England.  The 
confusion,  delay  and  awkwardness  of  people  entering 
and  leaving  railway  carriages  by  the  steep  steps  now 
in  use  will  be  entirely  done  away  with,  and  the  rapid 
handling  of  large  crowds  will  be  very  materially 
facilitated. 

V 

A  description  of  this  vast  improvement  is  incom- 
plete without  figures  showing  just  how  enormous  it 
really  is.  The  area  of  the  Station  and  yard  is  twenty- 
eight  acres,  and  in  this  there  are  sixteen  miles  of 
track.  The  storage  tracks  alone  will  hold  386  cars. 
The  length  of  the  twenty-one  standing  tracks  at  the 
Station  is  21,500  feet.    There  are  eleven  passenger 

I? 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


platforms,  with  twenty-five  baggage  and  express 
elevators.  The  highest  point  of  the  tracks  in  the 
Station  is  nine  feet  below  sea  level. 

The  station  building  is  784  feet  long  and  430  feet 
wide.  The  average  height  above  the  street  is  69  feet, 
while  the  maximum  is  153  feet.  To  light  the  build- 
ing it  will  take  about  500  electric  arcs  and  20,000 
incandescents. 

More  than  150,000  cubic  yards  of  concrete  were 
required  for  the  retaining  walls,  foundations,  street 
bridging  and  the  sub-structure.  There  are  650  col- 
umns supporting  the  station  building  and  the  greatest 
weight  on  any  one  of  these  is  1658  tons. 

The  river  tunnels  leading  to  the  Station  are,  all  told, 
6.8  miles  long,  and  the  land  tunnels  have  the  same 
length.  From  the  Bergen  Hill  portal  in  New  Jersey 
to  the  Long  Island  entrance  of  the  tunnels  it  is  5.3 
miles.  It  is  8.6  miles  from  Harrison,  New  Jersey,  to 
the  Station  in  New  York,  while  from  the  latter 
point  to  Jamaica  the  distance  is  11.85  miles. 

The  maximum  capacity  in  trains  per  hour  of 
all  of  the  Pennsylvania  tunnels  is  144,  and  the 
proposed  initial  daily  service  will  consist  of  about 
600  Long  Island  Railroad  trains  and  400  Pennsyl- 
vania trains. 

The  stone  work  of  the  Station,  covering  some 
eight  acres  of  ground,  was  completed  on  July  31, 
1909.    To  enclose  this  vast  area  has  necessitated  the 


18 


Pen  n  sylvt  mia  Station — 

Exit  to  Thirty-third  Street  from 
Main  W ailing  Room,  showing 
Doors  leading  to  the  Driveway 


Pennsylvania  Station — 

Concourse,  looking  toward  Thirty- 
third  Street,  showing  Train 
Gates  and  Indicators 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


building  of  exterior  walls  aggregating  2458  feet — 
nearly  half  a  mile — in  length,  and  has  required 
490,000  cubic  feet  of  pink  granite.  In  addition,  there 
have  been  utilized  inside  the  concourse  60,000  cubic 
feet  of  stone.  A  total  of  550,000  cubic  feet  of  "Mil- 
ford  pink  granite' '  have  thus  been  utilized  in  the 
construction  and  ornamentation  of  this  building.  It 
took  1 140  freight  cars  to  transport  these  47,000  tons 
of  stone  from  Milford,  Mass. 

In  addition  to  the  granite,  the  construction  of  this 
building  has  called  for  the  use  of  27,000  tons  of  steel. 
There  have  also  been  set  in  place  some  15,000,000 
bricks,  weighing  a  total  of  48,000  tons.  The  first 
stone  of  the  masonry  work  on  the  building  was  laid 
June  15,  1908  ;  the  entire  masonry  was  thus  completed 
in  approximately  thirteen  months  after  the  work  was 
begun. 

&  VI 

To  give  a  condensed  history  of  the  construction 
of  the  New  York  Improvement  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad,  and  to  record  the  names  of  those  who  have 
had  most  to  do  with  the  work,  the  Company,  through 
the  Board  of  Directors,  has  placed  two  tablets  on  the 
sides  of  the  main  entrance  to  the  Station  on  Seventh 
Avenue.  The  tablet  on  the  right  as  one  enters  the 
Station  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"This  tablet  is  erected  by  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  to  com- 


19 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


memorate  the  extension  of  its  Railroad  System 
into  New  York  City  by  the  completion  and  open- 
ing on  the  Eighth  day  of  September,  A.D.  1910, 
of  the  tunnels  and  Station,  and  to  record  the 
names  of  the  Directors  and  Officers  who  shared 
the  responsibility  of  authorizing  and  constructing 
the  undertaking. 

The  tunnels  and  Station  were  planned  and  con- 
structed under  the  executive  direction  and  super- 
vision of  Alexander  Johnston  Cassatt,  President, 
and  Samuel  Rea,  Vice-President,  of  the  Companies, 
incorporated  in  1902  in  the  States  of  New  York 
and  New  Jersey,  and  later  merged,  constituting 
the  Pennsylvania  Tunnel  and  Terminal  Railroad 
Company.   

General  Counsel,  George  V.  Massey. 

Board  of  Engineers  and  Chief  Engineers 
Chairman,  General  Charles  W.  Raymond. 
Gustav  Lindenthal,  resigned  December  15,  1903. 
Chief  Engineer,  North  River  Division,  Charles  M. 
Jacobs. 

Chief  Engineer,  East  River  Division,  Alfred  Noble. 

Chief  Engineer,  Electric  Traction  and  Station  Con- 
struction, George  Gibbs. 

Chief  Engineer,  Meadows  Division,  William  H, 
Brown,  retired  March  1,  1906,  succeeded  as 
Chief  Engineer  by  Alexander  C.  Shand. 

Architects,  New  York  Station,  McKim,  Mead  & 
White. 


20 


Pennsylvania  Station — 

Concourse,  showing  detail  of 
one  of  the  Exits  to  Thirty- 
third  Street 


Pen nsylva n ia  Station — 

Track  Level,  shoving  Stairways 
and  Elevators  leading  to  Exit 
Concourse 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


Board  of  Directors  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road Company 

Alexander  Johnston  Cassatt,  President,  died  De- 
cember 28,  1906. 

Sutherland  M.  Prevost,  Vice-President,  died  Sep- 
tember 30,  1905. 

William  L.  Elkins,  died  November  7,  1903. 

Amos  R.  Little,  died  December  16,  1906. 

Alexander  M.  Fox,  died  October  6,  1907. 

John  P.  Green,  Vice-President,  retired  March  24, 
1909. 

N.  Parker  Shortridge,     Thomas  DeWitt  Cuyler, 
Clement  A.  Griscom,      Lincoln  Godfrey, 
William  H.  Barnes,         Rudolph  Ellis, 
George  Wood,  Henry  C.  Frick, 

C.  Stuart  Patterson,       Charles  E.  Ingersoll, 
Effingham  B.  Morris,     Percival  Roberts,  Jr. 
W.  W.  Atterbury,  Fifth  Vice-President. 
Henry  Tatnall,  Fourth  Vice-President. 
John  B.  Thayer,  Third  Vice-President. 
Samuel  Rea,  Second  Vice-President. 
Charles  E.  Pugh,  First  Vice-President. 

James  McCrea,  President. 

Inscribed  on  the  other  tablet  is  the  following : 

Pennsylvania  Tunnel  and  Terminal  Railroad 
Company 

The  franchise  from  the  City  of  New  York 
authorizing  the  construction,  maintenance  and 
operation  of  the  Tunnel  Extension  and  Station  of 


21 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System  was  granted 
October  9,  1902,  by  the 

Board  of  Rapid  Transit  Railroad  Commissioners 

Alexander  E.  Orr,  Chairman. 
John  Claflin,  Edward  M.  Grout, 

Morris  K.  Jesup,  Woodbury  Langdon, 

Charles  Stewart  Smith,  John  H.  Starin, 
Mayor,  Seth  Low. 
The  construction  of  the  Tunnel  Extension  was 
begun  June  10,  1903.  The  two  tunnels  under  the 
North  River  and  the  four  tunnels  under  the  East 
River  were  built  by  shields  driven  from  each  side 
of  the  respective  rivers,  and  union  was  completed 
by  the  junction  of  the  last  tube  on  the  following 
dates : 

North  River  Tunnels,  October  9,  1906. 

East  River  Tunnels,  March  18,  1908. 

These  were  the  first  tunnels  for  standard  rail- 
road trains  constructed  under  these  rivers. 

The  construction  of  the  New  York  Station  build- 
ing was  begun  May  1,  1904,  and  trains  were  first 
operated  from  it  on  regular  schedule  September 
8,  1910. 

The  principal  contractors  were  : 

North  River  Tunnels 

O'Rourke  Engineering  Construction  Company. 
East  River  Tunnels 

S.  Pearson  &  Son,  Inc. 


22 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


Crosstown  Tunnels — East  River  to  New  York  Station 

United  Engineering  and  Contracting  Company. 
New  York  Station 

Engineers,  Steel  Structure  and  Machinery:  West- 
inghouse,  Church,  Kerr  &  Co. 

Excavation:  New  York  Contracting  Company. 

Erection :  George  A.  Fuller  Company. 
Bergen  Hill  Tunnels 

William  Bradley. 
Meadows  Division 

McMullen  &  McDermott.— H.  S.  Kerbaugh. 

Henry  Steers,  Inc. 
Sunnyside  Yard  and  Approaches 

Degnon  Realty  and  Terminal  Improvement  Company. 

Naughton  Company  and  Arthur  McMullen. 
Erected  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  The 

Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  on  the  Eighth  day  of 

September,  1910." 
It  is  impossible  to  insert  in  these  tablets  the  names 
of  all  those  discharging  responsible  duties  on  the 
Tunnel  Extension,  but  the  Management  fully  appre- 
ciates and  recognizes  the  ability  and  fidelity  which 
secured  the  completion  of  the  work,  and  especially 
that  displayed  by  the  Assistant  Chief  Engineers  and 
their  staffs  engaged  in  the  hazardous  as  well  as  unique 
task  of  constructing  the  tunnels  under  North  and 
East  Rivers.  Special  mention,  is,  therefore,  made  of 
James  Forgie  and  Charles  L.  Harrison,  the  Assistant 
Chief  Engineers,  respectively,  of  the  North  and  East 


23 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


River  Tunnels;  and  also  E.  R.  Hill,  Assistant  to 
Chief  Engineer  of  Electric  Traction  and  Station 
Construction,  and  E.  B.  Temple,  Assistant  Chief 
Engineer,  Meadows  Division. 

This  great  work  must,  however,  be  regarded  as 
representing  the  united  effort  and  experience  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Organization,  and  while  it 
would  be  impracticable  to  make  a  complete  list  of  all 
Officers  and  employes  of  the  entire  system  who 
assisted,  it  is  desirable  to  mention  the  following 
members  of  the  several  Committees  and  others,  who 
co-operated  with  and  assisted  the  Executives  and  the 
Board  of  Tunnel  Engineers  in  the  formulation  of 
designs  and  plans  for  the  operating,  terminal,  track, 
yard,  mechanical,  electrical  and  signaling  require- 
ments, and  in  the  solution  of  the  important  problems 
necessitated  by  the  scope  of  improvement  project: 

Jos.  T.  Richards,  Chief  Engineer  Maintenance  of 
Way,  as  Chairman  of  various  Committees  on  operat- 
ing, track  and  yard  work  requisites;  Theo.  N.  Ely, 
Chief  of  Motive  Power,  as  Chairman  of  the  Mechan- 
ical and  Electrical  Advisory  Committee,  W.  Heyward 
Myers,  General  Manager,  F.  L.  Sheppard,  General 
Superintendent,  New  Jersey  Division;  Benj.  W. 
Carskaddon,  Real  Estate  Agent;  J.  R.  Wood, 
Passenger  Traffic  Manager;  D.  S.  Newhall,  Purchas- 
ing Agent ;  R.  Trimble,  Chief  Engineer  Maintenance 
of  Way,  Northwest  System,  Lines  West;   W.  C. 


24 


Pen nsylva n in  S Ui lion — 

Exit  Concourse,  showing  one  of 
the  Exit  Elevators,  and  Stairway 
leading  to  Thirty-third  Street 


Pen  nsylva  n  ia  St  alio  n — 

Driveway  on  Thirty-first  Street 
side,  looking  from  Entrance  to 
C  on  course  toward  Seventh 
Avenue.  The  Overhead  Bridge 
leads  directly  into  the  Main 
Waiting  Room 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


Cushing,  Chief  Engineer  Maintenance  of  Way, 
Southwest  System,  Lines  West;  A.  W.  Gibbs, 
General  Superintendent  of  Motive  Power;  D.  F. 
Crawford,  General  Superintendent  of  Motive  Power, 
Lines  West;  Chas.  M.  Sheaffer,  Superintendent  Pass- 
enger Transportation  ;  R.  M.  Patterson,  Superinten- 
dent Freight  Transportation ;  L.  R.  Zollinger, 
Engineer  Maintenance  of  Way;  Axel  S.  Vogt,  Me- 
chanical Engineer;  B.  F.  Wood,  Assistant  Engineer, 
Altoona,  Pa.;  H.  R.  Leonard,  Engineer  of  Bridges; 
A.  M.  Parker,  Principal  Assistant  Engineer,  New 
Jersey  Division;  R.  L.  O'Donnel,  General  Superin- 
tendent, B.  &  A.  V.  Division;  D.  H.  Lovell,  Super- 
intendent, W.  J.  &  S.  R.  R.  Co.;  F.  P.  Abercrombie, 
as  Superintendent  of  New  York  Division;  D.  C. 
Stewart,  as  Superintendent  of  Telegraph,  and  J.  B. 
Fisher,  who  succeeded  him  in  that  position ;  A.  H. 
Rudd,  Signal  Engineer;  L.  H.  Barker,  Principal 
Assistant  Engineer  U.  R.  R.  of  N.  J.  Division,  and 
later  as  Engineer  of  Construction,  Sunnyside  Yard; 
H.  C.  Booz,  Principal  Assistant  Engineer  of  Branch 
Lines ;  Ralph  Peters,  President  and  General  Manager 
and  J.  A.  McCrea,  General  Superintendent  of  Long 
Island  R.  R.  Co.;  C.  S.  Krick,  Superintendent  and 
A.  J.  County,  Assistant  to  President,  Pennsylvania 
Tunnel  &  Terminal  Railroad  Company. 

VII 

The  New  York  Tunnel  Extension  of  the  Penn- 

25 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


sylvania  Railroad  running  east  and  west  from  the  New 
York  Station  begins  at  Harrison,  New  Jersey,  a  short 
distance  east  of  Newark.  Here  is  located  a  transfer 
yard  for  the  huge  electric  locomotives  used  in  the 
tunnels.  At  this  point  through  passenger  trains  from 
Southern  and  Western  points  will  change  from  steam 
to  electric  power,  and  passengers  whose  destination 
is  in  the  downtown  district  of  New  York,  may  alight 
here  and  walk  across  the  transfer  platform  to  an  elec- 
tric train  which  will  run  into  the  Church  and  Cort- 
landt  Street  Station  of  the  Hudson  &  Manhattan 
Railroad.  This  downtown  rapid  transit  electric 
train  starts  from  a  new  station  on  Military  Park,  in 
Newark,  thence  by  a  new  bridge  over  the  Passaic 
River  at  Centre  Street,  to  Harrison,  where  passen- 
gers may  transfer  to  trains  for  the  Pennsylvania  Sta- 
tion uptown,  or  continue  to  Jersey  City  and  lower 
New  York. 

The  through  trains  for  New  York  leave  Harrison 
on  rails  crossing  over  the  old  Pennsylvania  tracks 
on  a  steel  and  concrete  bridge.  A  double-track 
elevated  line  on  embankments  and  bridges  extends 
across  the  Hackensack  Meadows  to  Bergen  Hill, 
that  high  eminence  which  is  a  continuation  of  the 
rocky  cliffs  extending  along  the  Hudson  River.  In 
the  western  slope  of  this  hill  are  found  the  entrances 
to  the  tunnels  which  lead  under  the  North  River,  into 
the  Station  in  New  York. 


26 


Pennsylvania  Tunnels — 

Hackensack  Portals  of  Bergen 
Hill  Tunnel  in  New  Jersey 


Pen n sylva nia  Tunnels — 

Interior,  showing  Signal  Apparatus 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


VIII 

The  construction  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
tunnels  under  the  North  and  East  Rivers  into  New 
York  and  New  Jersey,  attaining  a  maximum  depth  of 
97  feet  below  mean  high  water,  and  built  for  a  heavy 
and  high-speed  traffic  of  great  volume,  was  an  under- 
taking without  precedent. 

The  tunnels  or  tubes  themselves  consist  of  a  series 
of  iron  rings,  and  the  installation  of  every  ring  meant 
an  advance  of  two  and  a  half  feet.  Eleven  segments 
and  a  key  piece  at  the  top  complete  the  circumfer- 
ence, and  an  entire  ring  weighs  about  fifteen  tons. 
The  cast-iron  plates,  or  sections  of  the  ring,  have 
flanges  at  right  angles  to  the  surface,  and  it  is  through 
these  that  the  successive  rings  are  held  together  with 
bolts.  The  record  progress  in  one  day  of  eight  hours 
was  five  of  these  rings,  or  twelve  and  one-half  feet. 
Hydraulic  rams,  placed  against  the  flanges  every  few 
inches  around  the  tube,  were  used  to  push  forward 
the  huge  shields  with  which  the  tunnels  were  bored. 
This  type  of  shield  weighed  194  tons.  It  had  nine 
doors  in  it,  and  through  these  came  the  rock,  or  sand, 
or  silt,  or  whatever  material  the  tube  penetrated. 

To  insure  that  the  east  and  west-bound  shields 
would  meet  exactly,  the  engineers  calculated  the 
difficulties  closely,  and  a  really  remarkable  system  of 
reports  was  in  effect  from  the  first  day  work  was 
started.     Every  morning  they  knew  the  progress 


27 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


made  in  the  tunnels  the  day  before,  to  the  very  inch, 
and  the  amount  of  rock  and  soil  excavated,  to  the 
cubic  foot.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Officers  and 
the  engineers  hold  this  perfect  system  and  the 
thoroughness  of  each  day's  work  chiefly  responsible 
for  the  accuracy  of  the  meeting  of  the  tubes. 

Engineers  say,  too,  that  no  project  was  ever  carried 
out  where  emphasis  was  placed  entirely  upon  the 
results — strength,  safety,  permanency — rather  than 
upon  the  money  it  cost  to  attain  them. 

The  shields  in  the  north  tube  under  Hudson  River 
met  on  September  17,  1906.  Each  had  traveled  some 
3000  feet  through  a  river  bed,  yet  the  meeting  was  per- 
fect. About  a  month  later  the  shields  in  the  south  tube 
met  in  the  same  way.  The  shields  in  the  south  tube 
were  united  by  a  tunnel  section,  consisting  of  eight 
rings,  that  had  been  on  exhibition  at  the  St.  Louis 
World's  Fair.  The  shields  in  the  four  East  River  tun- 
nels met  as  perfectly  as  those  in  the  Hudson  River 
tubes,  and  all  were  completed  at  about  the  same  time. 

When  the  tubes  were  through  from  end  to  end, 
the  work  of  putting  in  the  22-inch  concrete  lining  was 
started  immediately.  On  each  side  of  the  tunnel 
there  is  a  so-called  bench  three  feet  wide,  which 
serves  as  a  walk,  and  under  which  are  carried  con 
duits  for  telegraph,  telephone,  signal  and  power  wires. 

IX 

In  the  construction  of  the  tunnels,  nothing  was 


28 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


left  undone  by  the  Railroad  Company  to  protect  the 
live9  and  health  of  the  workmen. 

No  engineering  problem  connected  with  the  en- 
tire New  York  Tunnel  Extension  received  more  atten- 
tion than  did  the  many  precautions  to  protect  the  hun- 
dreds of  men  who,  day  and  night,  weekdays,  Sundays 
and  holidays,  bored  the  under-river  tunnels.  Down 
under  many  fathoms  of  mud,  gravel  and  rock  the 
iron  tubes  which  land  passengers  from  the  East  and 
West  into  the  heart  of  New  York  City  were  pushed 
steadily  forward  with  no  more  waste  of  time  than  it 
took  to  change  the  u  shifts. " 

Under-water  work  has  a  fearsome  sound — to  those 
who  have  never  seen  it  going  on.  Talk  to  men  who 
have  been  engaged  in  it  for  years  and  you  get  another 
idea.  There  are  plenty  who  can  speak  with  authority, 
for  the  world  was  searched  for  men  of  the  ripest  ex- 
perience to  build  the  Pennsylvania  tunnels.  On  the 
crosstown  shafts,  sixty  Austrians,  who  received  their 
training  in  the  Simplon  tunnel,  were  employed.  There 
were  engineers  and  foremen  here  who  had  tunneled 
in  Egypt,  South  Africa,  England  and  America,  and 
who  now  are  doubtless  looking  for  other  subterranean 
regions  to  conquer. 

To  make  it  as  safe  under  the  bed  of  the  river  as  it 
is  on  the  land's  surface  was  the  aim  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania tunnel  builders. 


29 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


The  work  was  performed  so  thoroughly  and  with 
such  skill  that  the  engineers,  their  assistants,  and  the 
laborers  have  left  a  permanent  monument  to  the 
mastery  of  science  over  the  greatest  physical  bar- 
riers of  nature.  As  a  result  of  the  nine  years  of 
thought  and  arduous  labor,  which  made  possible  the 
Pennsylvania  tunnels  and  Station,  the  traveler  can  now 
be  carried  straight  into  the  heart  of  New  York  City 
on  tracks  encased  in  tubes  of  the  most  substantial 
construction — tubes  which  from  New  Jersey  run  with- 
out a  curve  to  the  Manhattan  side  of  the  Hudson 
River.  Tubes  equally  free  from  curves  run  from  the 
Station  to  the  East  River,  under  which  they  shoot 
almost  in  a  straight  line  to  Long  Island. 

When  the  two  tracks  emerge  from  the  tubes 
under  the  Hudson  and  reach  the  entrance  to  the 
Station  yard  at  Tenth  Avenue  they  begin  to  spread 
out.  From  this  point,  and  extending  into  the  Station, 
the  number  grows  from  two  to  twenty-one. 

The  number  of  tracks  leading  out  of  the  Station 
yard  to  the  east  gradually  decreases  from  twenty-one 
to  a  total  of  four  for  the  main  line.  These  pass  under 
the  city  and  East  River  to  the  Sunnyside  Yard  on 
Long  Island,  the  terminus  of  the  tunnel  extension, 
and  the  point  of  connection  with  the  Long  Island 
Railroad. 

From  the  Station  the  Manhattan  crosstown  twin 
tunnels,  containing  four  tracks  in  all,  traverse  a  sec- 


30 


Pen  nsylva  nia  Tu  n  nels — 

Two  of  the  Long  Island  Portals 


>3 

*  S 

1 

5 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


tion  of  New  York  City  second  in  importance  only  to 
the  financial  district,  and  one  that  includes  the  larger 
hotels,  retail  shops  and  theaters,  and  many  residences. 
These  tunnels  end  at  the  river  shaft,  situated  in  the 
block  between  Thirty-third  and  Thirty-fourth  Streets 
east  of  First  Avenue. 

XI 

Sunnyside  Yard,  on  Long  Island,  is  to  the  New 
York  Improvement  what  the  West  Philadelphia 
passenger  yard  is  to  the  Philadelphia  Terminal, 
or  the  Jersey  City  Yard  to  the  Jersey  City  Station. 
The  new  yard  has  many  unique  features,  however, 
such  as  the  provision  for  running  all  trains  around 
a  loop — doing  away  with  the  use  of  turntables 
— pulling  them  into  the  coach- cleaning  yard  at 
one  end  and  departing  from  the  other  end,  thus 
turning  the  entire  train  and  avoiding  the  necessity 
for  switching  baggage  cars  and  sleeping  cars  to 
opposite  ends  of  the  trains  and  the  turning  of  combi- 
nation cars  separately.  The  arrangement  of  tracks 
on  different  levels  makes  provision  for  cross-over 
movements  without  grade  crossings  and  eliminates 
interference  with  high-speed  traffic. 

Sunnyside  Yard  is  5500  feet  long  with  a  maximum 
width  of  1550  feet,  embracing  some  173  acres  of  land. 
It  contains  53  miles  of  tracks  which  have  a  capacity 
of  1387  cars.    There  is  additional  space  for  extend- 


3i 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


ing  the  trackage  of  the  yard  to  provide  more  car 
standing-room  in  the  future. 

From  Sunnyside  Yard  there  are  tracks  leading  to 
the  New  York  Connecting  Railroad,  which,  when 
constructed,  will  form  a  junction  with  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  at  Port  Morris, 
New  York.  The  Connecting  Railroad  will  cross 
East  River  by  the  "Hell  Gate"  Bridge  over  Ward's 
and  Randall's  Islands. 

XII 

In  connection  with  its  improvements  in  and 
around  New  York  City,  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Company  has  constructed  at  Greenville,  N.  J.,  an 
extensive  freight  transfer  yard.  It  is  the  most  com- 
pletely equipped  yard  for  rapid  and  economic  handling 
of  freight.  From  Greenville  cars  are  transported 
by  floats  and  delivered  to  the  great  piers  of  New 
York  City.  Freight  destined  to  Brooklyn  or  to  other 
points  on  Long  Island  is  floated  across  the  bay  from 
Greenville  to  the  opposite  shore  at  Bay  Ridge, 
Long  Island.  Freight  for  New  England  and  Eastern 
points  is  floated  up  the  East  River  to  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad's  Port  Morris 
Station.  Later,  when  the  New  York  Connecting 
Railroad  is  constructed,  freight  will  be  floated  to  Bay 
Ridge  and  run  over  Long  Island  tracks  to  the  Con- 
necting Railroad,  and  thence  to  the  mainland,  where 

3* 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


connection  will  be  made  with  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  System  for  Boston  and 
New  England  points. 

XIII 

One  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad's  New  York  Tunnel  Extension  is 
its  relation  to  the  Long  Island  Railroad — a  subsidiary 
line  of  the  Pennsylvania. 

In  addition  to  the  many  millions  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  has  spent  for  the  four  tunnels  under  the 
East  River,  and  the  vast  Station  and  terminal  in  Man- 
hattan by  which  all  Long  Island  will  benefit,  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  is  increasing  its  own  facilities  in  all 
directions  to  take  care  of  the  present  large  traffic  and 
the  larger  traffic  which  will  come  with  the  use  of  the 
tunnels  into  the  Pennsylvania  Station  in  New  York. 
This  will  place  all  parts  of  Long  Island  and  its  many 
seaside  resorts  within  easy  reach  of  New  York  City. 

Tomorrow,  for  in  the  construction  of  vast  railroad 
improvements  years  count  as  but  days,  the  New  York 
Connecting  Railroad,  crossing  the  East  River  on  a 
four-track  arch  bridge,  will  be  completed,  and  there 
will  be  established  the  first  all-rail  service  between 
New  England  and  the  West  and  South  by  way  of 
New  York  City. 

The  skill  and  experience  that  has  evolved  the 
tunnels  and  Station  will  not  excel  that  of  the  Officers 
and  Employees  of  the  Transportation  and  Traffic 


33 


The  Pennsylvania  Railroad's  New  York  Improvement 


Departments  of  the  Company,  to  whom  the  tunnel 
extension  is  now  committed  for  successful  operation. 
The  traveler  may  rest  assured  that  nothing  will 
be  left  undone  to  insure  his  safety,  comfort  and  con- 
venience while  on  the  Pennsylvania  System. 


34 


